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Tax season at Davis & Hylton Accounting and Tax Service is keeping ANU Richmond Campus graduate Tiffany McKinley extremely busy. Tiffany, who graduated from the business administration-management program at ANU, wears many hats in the office, working as a tax and accounting assistant and as the assistant office manager.

Tiffany was hired by Davis & Hylton when Kandi Hylton, a partner in the firm, contacted ANU career center director Cynthia Hansel to find qualified job applicants for the position.

“We hired Tiffany for a multitude of reasons: her education from ANU, since it focuses mainly on business classes, including a class on QuickBooks; her personality; her eagerness to learn new processes; and her reference from Cynthia Hansel,” Ms. Hylton explained. “Since we hired Tiffany, she has shown a willingness and excitement to learn. We have not been disappointed in our decision.”

“We will seek candidates again from ANU in the future, as our firm grows.”

“As for working with ANU and Cynthia Hansel, it was a very pleasant and rewarding experience,” Ms. Hylton added. “She referred candidates to us who exemplified complete professionalism. We will seek candidates again from ANU in the future, as our firm grows.”

Tiffany feels proud that her hard work at ANU has put her on the path to career success. “I was working odd-and-end jobs and wasn’t making enough money. I wanted to go to National to make a better life for my son,” she recalled. “I’m using the skills that I learned in all of my accounting classes. [My degree] has made a shield for me and my son to succeed in life.”

She also feels very blessed to be a part of the great staff at Davis & Hylton. “Honestly, my favorite part of my job is the people I work with,” Tiffany shared. “They have become a family to me.”

A.-Tiffany McKinley came to ANU to help create a better future for herself and her son.

Linda Findling, a graduate of the ANU Danville, Kentucky Campus, was recently promoted to Practice Manager of KentuckyOne Health Primary Care Associates. Linda began her career in the practice as an extern during her medical billing and coding program at ANU. “I did my externship here, and they called me when there was an opening and said, ‘Would you be interested?’” she recalled.

She began working in the practice part-time while she continued her education in the medical assisting program at ANU. After graduating and earning certification as a registered medical assistant (RMA), she continued to work full-time in the practice.

“I'm extremely proud that I've been given this opportunity.”

At ANU, Linda engaged in hands-on learning, working closely with professionals from the medical field who served as her instructors. She feels that the real-world scenarios and experiences that they shared in class helped her develop the skills that she relies on as she interacts with her patients in the practice today.

Linda, who previously worked in retail, feels that her education at ANU has changed her life “100%.” “I’ve got a great paying job now, and I’m happy where I’m at,” she stated. “I’m extremely proud that I’ve been given this opportunity.”

Shaquile “ShaQ” Majawah was working as a CCTV installation technician in his home country of Malawi when he decided it was time to further his career opportunities. The first step was to pursue higher education, and he set his sights on attending a university in the United States. “A U.S. education has more weight, more value,” he explained.

He found American National University’s Roanoke Valley Campus through a Google search, and secured the necessary paperwork to come over and begin his studies in the network support associate’s degree program last July.

“I’ve been interested in computers since I was young, but they were confusing. I wanted to understand them better, and now that I’m studying them it’s easy,” ShaQ explained.

His career goal is to be a security administrator, securing data through computer networking. Once he obtains his network support associate’s degree, he plans to utilize the convenience of ANU’s progressive educational pathways by immediately rolling right into the campus’s network administration bachelor’s degree program.

“I want to keep earning certifications to lock in all the skills that I need.”

The IT programs at ANU have recently been streamlined to make sure they are in line with the current job market. “There’s been a big push to gear them more toward certifications, and to make students more marketable to employers,” explained Roanoke Valley Campus IT department chair John Warf. Students enrolled in the network programs now receive vouchers to take the related certification exams as part of their course materials, and with a Pearson VUE testing center on site, students can complete their certification exams in the convenience of the campus itself.

ShaQ found the certification aspect of ANU’s network programs to be a huge draw. He recently earned his Network Pro and CompTIA A+ certifications and is looking forward to earning more, including Network+, Security+, and Microsoft certifications. “I want to keep earning certifications to lock in all the skills that I need,” he stated.

He feels the education he’s receiving at ANU is exactly what he was looking for. “The course material is going to take me there. It’s in line with what I want to learn,” he said, mentioning a recent class assignment, in which students were tasked with using computer software called Raspberry Pi to design a project, such as a garage door opener, video game emulator, or smart house controller.

He also likes the friendly instructors and welcoming atmosphere he’s found at ANU. “The instructors will always help you,” he explained. “They always ask us to do more. It’s a good balance of the theory and the practical.”

A-Shaquile Majawah came from Malawi to the U.S. to study network support at the Roanoke Valley Campus of ANU.

B-Shaquile has already earned his Network Pro and CompTIA A+ certifications, with plans to earn several more.

The American National University Columbus Campus recently recognized Dr. Donald Woodard’s Family and Addiction Practice as a Distinguished Community Employer.

The practice recently accepted medical assisting student Hurl-Lu Waugh as an extern. Externships are an important component of the medical assisting program at ANU, giving students an opportunity to gain experience in a medical office, while giving the medical practice an opportunity to evaluate a student as a potential employee.

Hurl-Lu worked hard and proved himself to Dr. Woodard and his staff, and he was hired based on the quality of his work during his externship. “Hurl-Lu was very prepared as an extern which led to my hiring decision,” stated Dr. Woodard.

“Hurl-Lu was very prepared as an extern which led to my hiring decision.”

Hurl-Lu loves working with his patients in Dr. Woodard’s practice, and he feels that his training at ANU allowed him to master the skills that he needed to be successful in his medical assisting career. “The instructors and staff [at ANU] were always helpful,” he said. “[I was] very pleased with my education and training at ANU.”

Photo-ANU Columbus Campus medical assisting graduate Hurl-Lu Waugh (2nd from left) is shown with Dr. Donald Woodard (2nd from right) and his staff during the Distinguished Community Employer Award presentation.

“I’m a life-long learner,” said Jim McIntire. At the age of 62, Jim’s actions speak even louder than his words as he studies in the health information management (HIM) program at the American National University Dayton Area Campus in preparation for his third career.

Before coming to ANU, Jim worked as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force for 23 years. After retiring, he earned his bachelor’s degree in geology, and later put it to use working as an engineering technician in the construction industry.

“I was injured on the job and I can’t do physical work anymore,” Jim explained. “I looked around and found that the HIM [field] is very prevalent in this area. I did some research and found that American National University had the program that I needed. It’s an accelerated program, so that means that I’m not in school for another four years—I can get done within a number of months.”

“I would recommend ANU to anybody. The opportunities are here; the people are great; the classes fit my needs.”

Jim is receiving funding for his education through the VA’s Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation program. “ANU has been around for a long time, so I figured that it was a good bet,” he stated. “I would recommend ANU to anybody. The opportunities are here; the people are great; the classes fit my needs.”

He is particularly excited about his upcoming career because HIM professionals are in high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists health information technician jobs as having a “much faster than average growth” through 2024.

Jim plans to gain certification and experience in the field, then eventually find a job or start his own business working remotely from home. “I’m not ready to stop,” Jim shared. “If I’m trained into the HIM field, I can work in the field until my retirement age. I figure it’s a win-win situation.”

A.-Retired U.S. Air Force mechanic Jim McIntire is studying in the health information program at the ANU Dayton Area Campus in preparation for his third career.

B.-Jim found that HIM professionals were in demand in the Dayton Area, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting a “much faster than average growth” in the field through 2024.

The National News is a biweekly publication designed to share the success and academic accomplishments of students and graduates from American National University and National College. For more information, contact the Communications Department.

In accordance with the regulations of the Tennessee Higher Education Council, all references to "American National University" refer to "National College" in the state of Tennessee.